Stained Black
by Blacknayami
Summary: Sequel to " Vision of the Past". We have returned to the present and Vader's wounds have been healed. He questions his loyalty to Palpatine and Luke is uneasy about his new mission. Did Padme really die on Mustafar, and if not where is she? L/V and V/P
1. PrologueVerdict reached Sentence passed

Stained Black

By Blacknayami

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, George Lucas does and I am grateful to him for creating such a wonderful story. This story is written purely for fun, I am not getting paid for writing this.

Prologue

The whole damn thing started like a bad holomovie. Young slave falls in love with the beautiful queen, braves everything to save her and becomes a jedi knight. He gains strength, fame and eventually her love. And then…

Let's ignore that part of the story.

But now handsome knight is gone and the beautiful queen is gone and in their places is a dark, twisted excuse for a human being and an angel who lives only in his memory. Not to mention the child…

We'll gloss over that part of the story too, shall we?

So cruel. To take everything away from the once dashing knight was bad enough, but giving him a glimpse of the one being who had meant more to him than anything anywhere then snatching her away? Wasn't everything else enough? It didn't matter that suddenly he was, by some strange trick or caprice of the force, as handsome and powerful as he had been. What was his former beauty to him? A gilded cage shielding a repulsive monster.

It really was like a bad holomovie, or an outrageous soap opera. The tragically beautiful story of two lovers separated by the affection that had joined them together.

What do you think happened to the broken knight? Did he kill himself? Did he become so twisted and evil that he began to destroy the populace of the galaxy, exacting revenge upon a world that had been unrepentantly cruel to him? I'll admit that he contemplated the first option more than once, and he did follow through with the second one.

The power that he once craved means nothing to him now. Nor does money or any material possession. He envies even the poorest family, for they have what he has lost and has never recovered from the loss of.

What if he was given back something from his past? What if he found another reason to live, someone to care for? Could he trust himself with this cherished remnant? Could he ever dare to love another again? Could a soul that had been stained impossibly black ever regain even a shadow of its former purity?

Could Anakin Skywalker ever come to life again from the monster Darth Vader?

Chapter 1: Verdict reached, Sentence passed

Admiral Firmus Piett tried to seem casual as he strode over the communications centre of the Star Destroyer " Executor". He put a look on his face that he hoped seemed dangerous, mysterious and handsome (Dating Do's and Don'ts chapter 9 page 547) and gave a roguish grin to the stunning green twi'lek working there.

" Hello Diama", he greeted. " How are you on this fine day?"

" It's night Admiral and I'm tired and trying to do my job", she snapped, clearly unimpressed.

" Excellent!" Piett replied. " I like it when officers are working hard".

" Good, why don't you let me get to it then?"

Uh oh, thought Piett. This isn't going too well. They say women like compliments, right?

" You know Diama, I like your… uh…" He hadn't really thought this through. She was wearing the standard military uniform so he couldn't compliment her clothes. The twi'lek turned to him, raising an eyebrow irritably.

" I like your eyes!" Piett exclaimed, feeling he'd had an excellent idea. " They're, uh green!"

" I noticed", Diama responded acidly. She turned to her companion. " You okay for a few minutes? I suddenly feel an urgent need to go get a cup of caf (noticing Piett's hopeful expression) _alone_".

" No prob Diama", the man replied, trying valiantly not to laugh.

The green-skinned twi'lek stomped out irritably. Her companion did not try to hold in his laughter now that she was gone, much to Piett's vexation.

" Stop laughing!" snarled the admiral, his cheeks glowing red with embarrassment.

" You really don't know how to talk to women, do you?" the communications officer chuckled.

Piett slumped off. He would avoid visiting the communications centre for many days to come until Diama was finally transferred to another Star Destroyer.

///

" I disagree, it puts too many high ranking officers at risk!" exclaimed Princess Leia, slamming her hand against the polished black table.

" We've gone over this Princess, and have agreed that this must be done", responded General Rieekan. " Are you sure you aren't more worried more about the life of Han Solo than anything else?"

Leia turned to him irritably, no doubt about to make a cutting reply, however Mon Mothma cut in.

" I don't like it any better than you Princess Leia, nevertheless this could be our only chance". The leader of the rebel alliance turned to a guard standing near the door.

" Send for commander Skywalker, Han Solo and Chewbacca", she ordered. The high council sat in tense, stony silence until the rebels in question entered the room, glancing about nervously at the irritable faces around them.

" Please have a seat, all of you", requested Mon Mothma. " You have a new mission".

///

The first thing about the Emperor that Vader always noticed when summoned into the other's presence was cold. His master's throne room was filled with a deathly chill that lingered in the chamber even when Palpatine was not in it.

The second thing was how all of his worst memories, the most painful, humiliating ones always seemed to resurface in the other's presence.

The third was the feeling of intense hatred that built up inside of him, roaring like a furious inferno, screaming to get out. Vader had learned to cloak his emotions, however this overpowering feeling was one he could barely control.

Vader struggled to rid his mind of thoughts of Padme coughing up blood because of this man, not knowing his son was alive because of this man, existing in a life-support suit for years because of this man-

" Rise Lord Vader", intoned the emperor, and the sith apprentice stood from his kneeling position before his master. There was a long silence during which both considered carefully how to proceed.

" I have felt a great disturbance in the force", Palpatine spoke up finally.

Vader considered. Should he deny having felt the same thing? Should he agree to it? But he was worried he knew what the disturbance was…

" The light, which has suffered for years and was all but extinct, suddenly revived and gained strength. Why do you think that is?"

" Skywalker gains power my master", the sith offered hopefully.

" Ah, but which one?" Palpatine let the thinly veiled accusation hang in the air for a moment.

" Why did you let the rebels go Lord Vader?"

" My master, I…" There was more silence, during which Vader scrambled for an excuse and found none.

" You suggested to me that I take Skywalker as an ally. At the time I thought that my dutiful servant was working to benefit me. Now I wonder… did he have another reason for suggesting this?"

" I had no other reason my master", insisted Vader.

" Did you not? I find myself doubting whether your feelings are as clear on this matter as you would like me to believe".

His opponent made no answer.

" You cannot deny it. I thought not. Very well, since the boy threatens your power I will have him taken care of-"

" NO!"

Palpatine stood suddenly, his eyes flashing furiously. " You will do as I say Lord Vader!" he snarled. " Remember where your past weakness brought you: burned and broken, crawling on the banks of a river of lava and fire! You would do well to remember who breathed life back into the sorry excuse of a corpse you were then, who gave you riches and power beyond your wildest dreams! Get out of my sight, and don't you dare try to interfere in my plans!"

Palpatine sank back into his throne and watched as Lord Vader stormed from the chamber.

" Sentimental fool", growled the monarch. " That was always his undoing, his stupid heart". And having said this, the emperor turned towards the shadowy area behind his throne.

" Mara my child, I believe it is time that your skills were put to use…"

A.N.: Hello everyone, here is the sequel to " Vision of the Past"! I hope that you've enjoyed the prologue/chapter 1. Thank you to everyone who voted on the name of this story and who reviewed/alerted me! " Stained Black" got roughly 60% of the votes, so that's what we'll call this story. Did you like Piett's interaction at the beginning? Please leave a review and tell me what you thought of this chapter! Thank you!


	2. Uprisings

Chapter 2: Uprisings

_Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, George Lucas does and I am thankful to him for creating such a wonderful story. This is written for fun, not for monetary gain!_

" We believe that the imperials are in the midst of constructing a second and more powerful Death Star", Mothma informed the assembled rebels. " However, we require more than rumors before we begin to act against this threat. Commander Skywalker, you will arrive on the planet Shisperia posing as an imperial. Chewbacca will go with you. The imperials often employ wookiees for their construction work because of their strength and skill. You must get aboard this new Death Star if it does truly exist and plant a bomb upon it. A timed bomb of course, so that you and Chewbacca will be able to escape on time. We cannot allow this new station to become completed".

" What?" exclaimed Han. " We can't do that! You're saying Chewie will have to work as a slave for who knows how kriffin' long? No way!"

Mon Mothma surveyed him evenly. " This mission does call for sacrifice on his part, however it is necessary to protect countless lives across the galaxy. Or would you prefer that we have another Alderaan?" She was looking at Leia at this. The princess flinched and turned away.

" What about the rest of us?" Han demanded. " What are we supposed to be doing in the meantime? I won't leave Chewie and Luke on their own!"

" You and Princess Organa will stay on Shisperia working as suppliers to the imperials. You will be sent on trips to pick up supplies for them and we hope, to eventually start being sent to bring supplies to the Death Star".

" What if Luke and Chewie are in trouble and we're halfway across the galaxy?" demanded the smuggler. " How are we supposed to help them then?"

" That is a risk we will have to take Captain Solo" replied the Mothma. " Of course, you are all free to refuse this mission, however keep in mind that it might be our only hopes of destroying this station before it reaches completion".

There was silence for a long moment. Put like that, the rebels knew that they did not have much ground for refusal.

" I'll do it", Luke spoke up finally, with an assurance he did not feel. Had Mon Mothma known more about him she might not have chosen him for this mission…

The other rebels (grudgingly) agreed.

" Thank you all for your dedication", the rebel leader spoke up. " I am honored to have such loyal soldiers in the alliance. Pack your things, you leave tomorrow. Oh, and Captain Solo…?"

The smuggler turned to her questioningly.

" I'm afraid you can't take the Millenium Falcon".

/

The crew of the Executor jumped nervously as the sliding doors to the bridge of the ship hissed open. Their commander stepped out, tall, clad in black from head to toe, his breath echoing menacingly off the walls. The sith lord's mood was almost a tangible thing that they could feel chilling the room. Today it was so cold and terrifying that they were scared of blinking too much. Vader strode up to the viewport of the ship where Admiral Piett waited nervously.

" Set course for the Ortelian system Admiral", he ordered. " We are to quell the uprisings on Ortellos 3".

" Right away milord", replied the officer. He turned to the crew and began efficiently giving orders.

Vader stood before the viewport, watching the stars stretch into brilliant streaks as they made the jump to light speed. Palpatine's voice rang over and over in his head.

" _I find myself doubting whether your feelings are as clear on this matter as you would like me to believe._

" _You cannot deny it. I thought not. Very well, since the boy threatens your power I will have him taken care of…"_

At this very moment the emperor was planning on how to destroy his son.

Vader's hands clenched into fists. That would not happen! He must prevent it somehow without it coming to Palpatine's knowledge. But how?

The dark lord was suddenly aware of Piett standing a little ways behind him.

" Attend me Admiral" he ordered suddenly and strode off. Piett hurried after him, and when the two had entered his chambers the sith lord whirled around.

" He's going to kill Luke", Vader announced suddenly, fear roughening his voice.

" Who is milord?" the admiral asked. He was rather concerned, and this might have worried Vader at another time, however right now the sith lord was oblivious.

" Palpatine. He's going to kill him!"

" Do you have any agents you can send to protect him milord?"

" Palpatine knows my agents!"

" Can you tell Luke to be on his guard?"

" On his guard against professional killers? That won't help him! He's a jedi in training, but he's just a boy! He's just a boy…"

Suddenly there came a spike of excitement through the force from Piett.

" Milord, does the Emperor know that you've been healed?"

" No, he doesn't, I don't see why…" Vader's voice trailed off as he realized what Piett was hinting at. " Oh… oh!"

" You could go after him and protect him milord! No one knows what you look like… but the men would expect to see you".

Vader was not ready to abandon the idea so quickly. " Piett… shouldn't you go to your pregnant sister? She is going into labor quite soon I believe".

" Milord… you mean?"

" You know precisely what I mean".

Piett's sister was 11 years old.

_A.N.: Hi everyone, I'm so sorry this took so long! I had exams, then a trip, then writer's block in a lovely succession that did not permit much writing. I think I have a better idea of what will happen now, though, so you will not have to wait so long again! _

_Also, I recently discovered how traffic works and found it very inspiring how people from so many different countries have looked at my work. Thank you very much for reading " Stained Black", I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please leave a review and tell me what you thought! _


	3. Getting in character

Chapter 3: Getting in character

_Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, George Lucas does and I am thankful to him for creating such a wonderful story. This fic is written for fun, not for monetary gain. _

" Now, repeat after me: I find your lack of progress most concerning. Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate you".

" I find your lack of progress most concerning. Perhaps I can find n-new ways to motivate you", Piett tried nervously.

" You stuttered!" snarled Lord Vader, irritation twisting his face. " Have you ever heard me stutter?"

The honest answer was yes (on the trip back to Naboo), however Admiral Piett did not feel that now was the time for wisecracks.

" No milord, I'm sorry milord", he replied.

Vader groaned and slumped down into a chair. He had long since abandoned his mask and helmet, for it seemed to Piett that now the sith lord had the choice of wearing them he much preferred not to.

" This is my son's life in your hands Piett", the dark lord sighed. " You realize that?"

" I'm trying milord", the admiral answered. " I just… feel too much like _me_". It was so strange seeing Lord Vader sitting sloppily in a chair instead of his usual rigid demeanor. It was rather scary, really.

Vader looked up suddenly. " Perhaps we can fix that…" he murmured.

/

" I can't believe it", grumbled Han Solo to the lovely brunette princess in the copilot's seat. " This ship is too slow, not aerodynamic at all, the thing is cramped, smells funny-"

" Worse than the Millenium Falcon?" Leia asked, trying valiantly not to laugh. " Come on Han, you know Mon Mothma is right. The Falcon is too easily identifiable. We had to take another ship".

Han sulked for a moment, trying to ignore the fact that he knew Leia was right. Then an idea came to mind.

" So…" said the smuggler, turning to his companion with a sly grin on his face. " Why don't we work on our cover story?"

" Our cover story?" asked Leia, beginning to suspect what he meant.

" Well, we can't say we're two rebels supplying the Death Star, can we? How about I am a retired holo star and you are my wife?"

" You get the more glamorous past, don't you?" Leia remarked.

" Fine, you were… a model! How's that?"

" Ridiculous. Why would a holo star in his thirties retire? And why would we go into shipping when we could be living on a comfortable holiday planet?"

" Okay, I'm a romance novelist and you are my fiancée and inspiration", Han smirked.

" Definitely not", snapped Leia, starting to get irritated.

" I'm an artist, and you model for me…?"

" Why am I always a model?"

" Because you're beautiful of course, your Worshipfulness!"

" Can't I be smart too?"

" Then you are a famous engineer and I am your former secretary turned boyfriend!"

Leia groaned inwardly. This was going to be a long ride.

/

Vader punched a glowing red button with his fist, causing to plain black steel doors to whoosh apart. Inside were three identical suits of black armor. Admiral Piett cringed, the idea of putting one of those on was spooky… but Skywalker's life hung in the balance, he reminded himself. This was something he had to do.

Vader unhooked one of the suits and unclasped it, lifting off the cape, mask and helmet. Piett gingerly stepped into the armor, clumsily trying to reach for the clasps. His companion summoned a droid from the corner who fastened it for him. The heavy, silken cape was fastened around the admiral's neck, the thick, clumsy leather gloves pulled over his hands. Vader held up the mask, and Piett hesitated, fear clinging to him. He didn't want to experience this, didn't want to feel like someone who could kill as easily as lifting a finger-

" Piett", Vader spoke up suddenly. " Piett… please". The desperation in the other's voice reminded the admiral of his duty to his commander, of debts owed… and of the fact that Vader could kill, but he could also love.

Piett allowed the mask to be lifted to his face…

/

Luke leaned back from his computer with a sigh. He had finished constructed a past for himself and inserting it into the imperial's files. As far as the officials on Shisperia were concerned, he was Captain Tam Ozari, newly transferred form the planet Kashyyyk and bringing with him a prisoner native of that planet. He was born on the planet Corellia, had lived there for sixteen years, joined the army, and risen in rank very quickly.

Luke glanced up at the piloting room. He should go and join Chewbacca, however he couldn't help but think about the new mission and worry.

What if Vader was on the Death Star when he blew it up? Could he choose between his father and the wellbeing of the galaxy? He didn't know Vader very well, and most of what he did know was bad.

_He spared us at the battle of Naboo, didn't he?_ Pointed out a voice in Luke's head. _He cared deeply for mother… And don't you think he might care for you? _

" No", muttered the young jedi, trying to push these thoughts from his mind. These were dangerous thoughts, the kind of ideas that could torture your every waking hour and fill your dreams at night. Once he had wondered about his father, had dreamed about meeting him. Now Luke Skywalker couldn't help but wonder:

Would he have been better off not knowing?

/

Everything was red. Piett turned his head slowly, and a strange, distorted vision of the room appeared in deep crimson, burgundy, scarlet, carnelian and magenta, with shadows very dark and very black. The helmet closed over his head, and for a moment a panic settled in.

" Milord", the admiral uttered, and his voice was a deep, terrifying rumble. He was drowning, drowning in darkness…

Then he felt a sudden pressure on his arm, and turned to see a hazy image of Lord Vader looking up at him (up, how unusual. Usually Lord Vader was much taller than him).

" Piett, Piett calm down", the sith lord uttered. " You're just wearing a suit, you're still you".

The admiral took a deep breath and felt rather ashamed of himself. Lord Vader was relying upon him! He would not, could not fail!

" I'm sorry milord", he responded. " I'm ready".

_A.N.: Hello everyone, here is chapter three, and here after considerably less time than the wait for chapter two. I think that merits some reviews, don't you? _

_Anyway, thank you very much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please tell me what you thought! _


	4. Picking up Speed

Chapter 4: Picking up Speed

_Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, George Lucas does and I am thankful to him for creating such a wonderful story. This fanfiction is written for fun, not for monetary gain. _

A tall, black clad figure strode across the floor of Darth Vader's private quarters.

" What news Captain?" he demanded of another figure who wore the same armor without the imposing skull-like mask, therefore his slightly long blond hair was showing.

" We are nearing the Ortellos system sir", responded the other.

" Good. Prepare my shuttle".

" Your shuttle is undergoing repairs milord".

" What?" demanded the imposing figure. " I ordered those repairs completed before our arrival!"

" I'm sorry Lord Vader, they, the mechanics said there were delays-"

" I don't want to hear your excuses!" roared the sith lord. He stepped menacingly towards the other.

" Lord Vader, please, no!" gasped the blond man, retreating as quickly as he could.

" You have failed me for the last- Oof!" the menacing image was ruined as the black clad man tripped on his cape and went sprawling to the ground.

The other man lost all semblance of fear and his handsome face became extremely annoyed.

" You almost had it that time!" he snarled. " Even now Luke is in danger… can't you go any faster?"

" I'm sorry milord", responded Piett, pulling himself off the floor with much difficulty.

" We don't have much time…" groaned Vader. " Not much time…"

" I'll get it this time Lord Vader", answered the other. " It's the sudden turn that gets me… Let me try again".

" What news captain?"

/

Han sighed ruefully as an elderly twi'lek woman showed them around a small apartment. Despite all his great suggestions for their identities they had ended up being-

" Miss Stella, is your brother alright?" asked their new landlady. Leia turned to Han and glared.

" Oh yes, he's fine, just a bit tired from our journey. This looks lovely, we would very much like to rent your apartment".

The twi'lek smiled, money changed hands, and the two rebels were left alone.

" Why couldn't we have been husband and wife?" Han asked miserably. " This is cruel. I can't flirt with you, hug you, kiss-"

" Stop talking like that!" snapped Leia, turning away to hide the fact that she was blushing. She never knew quite where she stood with the corellian smuggler and had chosen their cover story herself: they were a brother and sister who had left Corellia to start shipping and hopefully start a business.

" We have work to do", she continued. " Come on, let's go sign up for our new job".

" Sure", Han groaned. Then a mischevious look appeared in his eyes. " We'll still have plenty of time alone on our supply runs".

/

" I think you're ready", Darth Vader choked out finally from his uncomfortable position of being suspended in midair by only his neck. Admiral Piett lowered his companion to the ground (silently thanking his weight training).

" Lord Vader, are you sure?" he asked worriedly. " I'm not sure I'm fully prepared…"

" You will have to be", the sith lord responded. " I leave tomorrow morning. You will spread the story about your sister as much as possible before you leave".

" Yes milord", answered Piett, taking a deep calming breath. He would do this. He had to do this.

/

Luke strode into the imperial's base on Shisperia with far more confidence than he felt. A silver protocol droid looked up at his entrance.

" Greetings sir, do you have an appointment?"

" I do", Luke nodded. " Would you notify Commander Lieko of my arrival?"

" What name shall I give him?"

" Captain Tam Ozari" replied the rebel, trying to be both casual and confident with the false name.

" Please wait here Captain Ozari. I will go tell the commander that you have arrived".

Luke sat down in an opulent waiting room. The chairs were made of the finest cala wood and cushioned in bright red velvet. A table of matching wood sparkling with gems was placed before him, and his feet sunk into a lush, beautiful rug. A crystal chandelier cast small shimmering rainbows about the room.

The rebel fidgeted nervously. He wasn't used to this sort of splendor, and looking about him he couldn't help thinking how the cost of this drape would have supported his family on Tattooine for a year, how that jewel would probably supply enough money to send five ships worth of supplies to suffering planets…

' Relax', Luke told himself silently. ' You've got to think like one of them. You expect this kind of décor. You're used to it'.

What if his disguise wasn't enough? He had had his hair cropped very short back at the rebel base, had put on fake tanner and stuck a false scar onto his cheek for good measure, but what if that wasn't enough? What if they saw right through him and killed him on sight?

' Or send you to Vader or the emperor' added a nasty voice in his head that wasn't helping matters.

' Relax', Luke told himself, trying to ignore his pounding heart and the sweat gathering on his palms. He rubbed them nervously on his pants, then realized that he might be being watched and couldn't do anything that might give cause for suspicion…

" Captain Ozari?" The silver protocol droid was back.

" Y-yes?" asked Luke, trying to ignore the nervous stutter in his voice.

" Commander Lieko will see you now".

Luke nodded and stood warily, remembering just in time to hold his arms stiffly at his sides as officers were supposed to do. He strode forwards with clipped, military steps, disregarding the security cameras and many, many guards with blasters and all thought of prison and death and torture…

Okay, maybe not. But he put in a good effort.

/

Admiral Piett entered the hangar with a small suitcase in hand. He straightened his beige uniform nervously, nodded to the troopers he passed, and entered a small shuttle. He deposited the suitcase in the storage room, then entered the control room. The pilot swiveled around to face him, his piercing blue eyes framed by curly blond hair.

" I'm ready milord" Piett informed his commander. Vader nodded curtly. " You'll want to be ready by the doors. You'll only have a moment".

The admiral turned to go.

" Piett".

" Yes milord?" he turned questioningly. The blue eyes were troubled.

" Thank… I shall see you shortly".

" Yes Lord Vader". Piett tried not to smile. " I will do my best milord".

Vader nodded, and the admiral moved to the doors of the shuttle. The vessel began to move, picking up speed…

A.N.: _Hi everyone, I haven't seen you in… um… a long time! Yeah, sorry about that. Someone very important to me has been diagnosed with breast cancer, so as you can imagine I've had things on my mind. Don't worry, I am going to finish this story, I enjoy writing it a lot! So anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I promise the next one will be out soon! _


	5. Infiltration

Chapter 5: Infiltration

_Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, George Lucas does and I am thankful to him for creating such a wonderful story. This fanfiction is written for fun, not for monetary gain. _

_Previously: _

_Vader nodded curtly. " You'll want to be ready by the doors. You'll only have a moment". _

_The admiral turned to go. _

" _Piett". _

" _Yes milord?" he turned questioningly. The blue eyes were troubled. _

" _Thank… I shall see you shortly". _

" _Yes Lord Vader". Piett tried not to smile. " I will do my best milord". _

_Vader nodded, and the admiral moved to the doors of the shuttle. The vessel began to move, picking up speed…_

And approached a turn in the hangar dock's walls. Just for a moment the doors of the ships would be obscured by a corner of wall and a large ship. Piett slapped a control in the wall of the ship and the landing ramp began to lower. The admiral peered out of a small side window, waiting for the ship to block his side of the ship from sight…

The ship turned, and momentarily he was invisible…

The admiral sprinted up the ramp, which was mostly lowered and threw himself off of it and behind the ship, landing in a quick roll that was not completely painless.

Inside the shuttle, Vader, dressed as the pilot, slammed his fist against the controls for the landing ramp as soon as he felt Piett's presence leave the ship. The ramp rose back up once more, and the shuttle turned around the corner completely, ramp back up and everything seemingly normal. The shuttle blazed off into hyperspace, leaving Admiral Piett behind on the Executor…

/

Luke was ushered into an office even more grandiose than the waiting room. Silken drapes and elaborately carved wooden paneling with gold inlay decorated the office. Behind it's desk was a rather short and slightly plump man sporting a grey mustache, a ridiculously ornate pair of spectacles and an intricately embroidered blue cloak which he flourished grandly as he stood to greet Luke.

" Captain Ozari, it's a pleasure to meet you!" exclaimed the man, shaking Luke's hand vigorously. " You have a most impressive record my boy, most impressive indeed, although I must say you're younger than I'd have thought! Have a seat, have a seat! Can I offer you something? Brandy, gin, perhaps a bit of champagne? Here, girl, bring us a bottle of champagne, and be quick about it!"

A pretty green twi'lek who had been standing quietly in the shadows hurriedly jumped up and out the door, her scanty silk coverings rippling in the air. Luke, feeling slightly nauseous, at the sight of her, tried to keep his horrified eyes from watching her departure.

" She's a beauty, isn't she lad?" chuckled the commander. " A real prize, that's for sure! I'll bet you don't see girls like that too often!"

Luke forced a cheery smile onto his face. " I'm afraid not, not on Kashyyk sir. The only landscape is those furry savages".

Commander Lieko roared with laughter at Luke's joke, while the jedi resisted the urge to shout out an apology to Chewbacca and his species.

" Well, perhaps I can introduce you to some ladies later… But first, to business my lad! What brings you here today?"

' Smile', Luke reminded himself. ' Keep smiling'. But it occurred to him that Vader's disposing of people like this really was not so horrible, and despite his sense of self disgust for the thought, he could not quite shake it from his mind…

/

As a small shuttle blaster into space from the metal jaws of the Executor its pilot breathed a shaky sigh of relief. The switch had gone perfectly as planned. Now he'd just have to hope that Piett could keep up the deception…

' There's no use worrying about that', Vader told himself, running his fingers through his shaggy blond hair tiredly. No matter how many times he did it, it still felt strange to look in the mirror and see pale, unblemished skin and the hair he'd not had for years, to do something as simple as shaving or breathing on his own.

His body was restored. As for his heart…

No, perhaps not quite restored. For although the sith lord's many wounds had been healed, his body restored to his former health and his legs grown back, one of his arms had not turned from durasteel and wire to flesh and blood. Vader raised his right and pulled off the tight leather glove covering it, showing the cold metal beneath. The skeletal limb was a stark reminder of how it had all started, of how the evil within him had begun to emerge…

It was a symbol of weakness, of his defeat by Dooku. It was… a reminder? Yes, a reminder sent from the force.

Remember your pain Anakin Skywalker. Remember what happened last time you failed.

Vader pulled the glove back over his hand viciously and told himself to forget.

/

The room was very cold, very cold. When Piett breathed he could see faint crystals of ice forming in the air before him. He walked over to the closet shakily and pulled out a heavy black leather suit, however he was not careful enough and the helmet and mask toppled from the armor and clanged loudly on the ground. Piett hurriedly went after them. The mask had falled off and the empty helmet rolled to face him, showing only a black hole where its face should be.

The admiral shivered, picked them back up and walked to the hyperbaric chamber. He draped the cloak over the stiff chair in its centre, placed the helmet and mask on top of it, set the boots out before the chair and began to clumsily climb into the empty leather suit. It was large and ungainly at first, but he found it shaping itself to his body in a natural and yet unnatural way. Piett stepped into the boots and slung the cape over his shoulders. He picked up the mask and placed it over his face, trying to control his trembling fingers.

He felt like dark forces in the room were attacking him, shouting accusations at him.

" _You do not belong here. You have no right to look into Lord Vader's soul, an abyss that none are to enter… Leave Piett, before harm befalls you…" _

Piett shivered and pulled the helmet on, securing the mask to his head, as though they could shield him from the malevolent forces he could almost see whirling around him.

" I gave Lord Vader my word", he uttered, and his voice boomed around the room, deep and powerful. " I do not go back on my word". The strength of the voice hid the quiver in the admiral's throat.

' I am Lord Vader', he told himself. ' Dark Lord of the sith, second in command of the emperor and in charge of the entire navy. I am Lord Vader…'

He took a few cautious steps forwards, speeding up gradually as he went, and strode through the doors of Lord Vad-no, his chambers.

' I am Lord Vader, Dark Lord of the sith…' he chanted silently. ' This is my ship. These are my officers. They work flawlessly or else…' and here he clenched one leather bound hand. ' I take care of them'.

_A.N.: Ha! How was that for a quick update? How about some reviews? Pretty please? Thank you everyone for reading and for your previous reviews, I'm glad you're still reading (and hopefully enjoying)! As a side note, isn't the word " malevolent" so nice? It just has a pleasant ring to it! See you next time, and may the force be with you! _


	6. Premonition

Chapter 6: Premonition

_Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, George Lucas does and I am thankful to him for creating such a wonderful story. This fanfiction is written for fun, not for monetary gain. _

The doors leading to the bridge of the star destroyer _The Executor_ hissed open, and immediately every crew member straightened up and gave his sole attention to the work before him. The menacing figure of Darth Vader filled the doorway, his loud breathing rasping through the suddenly dead silent air. The sith lord strode forwards-

And the edge of his cape was caught in the doors of the bridge as they began to shut once more.

" Sithspawn!" rumbled Vader, and all eyes on deck turned to him incredulously. The dark lord met their stupefied gaze with burning intensity.

" Why aren't you working?" he demanded. " Do you need to be reminded of the price of laziness aboard my ship?"

Everyone hastily returned to their work. The sith lord slammed a fist bad temperedly against the door controls, releasing his cape, however hurting his hand in the process.

" Ow, ow, ow…" he groaned, nursing his wounded palm. Suddenly realizing that he was once more the focus of the entire bridge Vader quickly straightened up and strode up to the viewport, where his senior officers moved away quickly (yet couldn't help but notice how much their senior appeared to be wobbling as he walked). Vader stood before the wide view of space, hands clasped behind his back in his habitual pose, then turned away abruptly, swaying slightly.

' _Looking at hyperspace makes me feel sick', _thought Piett to himself queasily. _' I really hope I don't vomit in this helmet, Lord Vader might not be too pleased…' _

" Lord Vader?" spoke up Captain Trivone nervously. Immediately Piett snapped to attention, looking around frantically for the sith lord so that he could greet him.

' _Wait a minute, that's me!'_ he realized.

" What is it?" he asked. _' Was that evil enough?' _the admiral wondered to himself. Fussing over several darker variations of this sentence he failed to notice for a few minutes that Captain Trivone had been addressing him.

" Pardon me Captain, what was that you said?" Piett asked politely.

The poor captain jumped and stared at Piett for a moment in stupefaction.

" What, Vix-cat got your tongue?" the admiral asked. _' Oh wait… Lord Vader would never say that!' _Beating himself up inwardly Piett again missed what Captain Trivone had said.

" Sorry, one more time, what was that?"

The captain stared at him. " Um… I said… t-that is, I only informed your lordship that… um… we've entered hyperspace…"

" Well I can see that, didn't you notice me staring mystically at it a moment ago?"

The captain was at a loss for words.

' _Lord Vader wouldn't say that either! I need to say something really evil that will convince the crew members I'm him…'_

Piett lunged forwards suddenly and lifted Captain Trivone up from the ground single handedly.

" You dare to question my authority captain?"

" N-no, milord, I… I'm so sorry milord", gasped out the officer.

" Do you think that you are not disposable?" snarled the sith lord.

" Please m-milord, I…" and then the captain gasped with pain as he was dropped suddenly onto the ground.

" Gosh you're heavy… cut back on the carbs why don't you?" snapped Vader, massaging his arm furiously.

" Um… I'm… sorry milord?" the man offered tentatively.

Vader treated him to an icy glare then strode out of the bridge and back through the doors (this time being careful to wrench his cloak away from them as they closed). The officers stared at each other in extreme bewilderment.

" What the hell just happened?" one asked finally, echoing all of their thoughts.

Back inside Lord Vader's chambers, Piett pulled the helmet off of his head and breathed a sigh of relief.

" I think that went well", he remarked.

/

" These will be your quarters Tam my boy", Commander Lieko told Luke jovially, slamming a rather large, meaty palm against the boy's back. He had just finished giving Luke a tour of his large and sumptuous palace. " I hope they're to your liking of course!"

" I'm sure they will be sir", he answered politely. " Your whole planet is indeed quite charming".

" Thank you, thank you captain, and all the better with aliens as slaves, in their rightful places!" the commander lit a large, pungent cigar and blew a mouthful of bright green, noxious smoke into the air. " Cigar, my boy?" he asked, sparing Luke from the agony of trying to agree with such a comment.

" No thank you sir", answered the jedi.

" Oh, I insist! Really, they're marvelous things, straight from Corellia, and they know how to make their spice-er, that is, their smokes!" Commander Lieko roared with laughter, and Luke forced himself to join in and take a small puff from the cigar forced upon him.

" Now, I've found an aide for you while you're on Shisperia, to guide you around, help you with sightseeing and any other… entertainment you'd like to explore during your visit!" the man laughed, winking at Luke and elbowing him slyly in the ribs. " She's a real beauty my boy, here, let me call her for you…" and so saying he pulled a gold encrusted comlink from his belt and selected a number.

" Vanessa?" the commander spoke to whoever was on the other end. " Vanessa, Captain Ozari is here, and I'd like you to come meet him. Good, hurry up girl, he's impatient!" Commander Lieko gave his unsettling laugh once more and cut of the communications.

" She'll be right here my boy! I have no doubt you'll get along very well…"

" Thank you commander, you're too kind", Luke answered, hoping that the expression he'd forced onto his face resembled something like a smile.

" Don't mention it my boy, you're here to have a good time!" And then, catching sight of a figure approaching them, the commander turned to the new arrival.

" Ah, here you are! Captain Ozari, meet Miss Vanessa Nyx, your new guide!"

Luke turned, feeling like he was about to be sick to his stomach-

And froze.

Smiling at him across the room was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

Her hair rippled like flame in its loose, wavy style. Her eyes were green and flashing, well set off by the strapless white dress she wore studded by emeralds and cinching her tiny waist with a green silk belt. Her face was heart shaped and fair, with a smattering of freckles dusted across it. Her makeup was light and accented rather than dominated her lovely features.

" Captain Ozari, how wonderful to meet you", she uttered, her voice chiming like silver bells. Luke was barely able to think enough to take her soft, slender hand in his to shake.

" It's an honor to make your acquaintance", he told her, feeling suddenly that perhaps he would enjoy part of this mission after all…"

/

Darth Vader wove through the thronging crowds on the planet of Malastaire. The planet was full of gambling and had once held pod races, as had Tattooine. However, because the sport had become illegal several years ago now it was games of chance and sabacc for which the planet was famous. Another form of gambling on the planet which was not as widespread was gambling with the law, with the empire, with one's own life.

There was reputedly a secret rebel recruiting centre on Malastaire.

Vader closed his eyes, letting the force flow out of him and into the crowd, searching for that gentle tug in the direction of the information he wanted. He felt something across the marketplace and began to turn in that direction, still in tune with the force, when another emotion flashed through his mind. It was a warning, a premonition, a curse.

" Luke is in danger", whispered Vader, his eyes snapping open.

_A.N.: Hi everyone, it's me again with chapter 6! I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the previous chapter as well! Have you guessed who Vanessa is? I'm hoping so! By the way, some of you have said you want to see Luke and Vader's reunion. Don't worry, that's coming up! And there's another character we haven't seen for a while… whatever has happened to Padme? She'll turn up soon, I haven't forgotten about her! A few more things need to happen before she gets mentioned again though. Thanks for reading, and please stay tuned! _


	7. Echoes

Chapter 7: Echoes

_Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, George Lucas does and I am thankful to him for creating such a wonderful story. This fanfiction is written for fun, not for monetary gain. _

In the same way that flies gather in swarms around a rotting carcass, the dark side gathered around Emperor Palpatine like a vile, corrosive fog that darkened all around it. The sith lord sat quite still on his throne, and if not for the thin white mist that formed as he exhaled, the pale, wrinkled, aged man could be mistaken for a two week old corpse.

So many force users were too keen to use brute strength to solve problems; Darth Vader was one sith most prone to this flaw. But Emperor Palpatine was adept at the art of simply listening to the echoes of life around his galaxy reverberating through time and space to tell him of what had, and even, when he listened hard enough, would come to be.

Now was a time when the old sith lord was in a difficult position, and where he was relying upon these skills to lead him once more to victory over his opponents.

The sith had a saying: one's most dangerous enemy is one's friend, for it is he that knows one's weaknesses. Emperor Palpatine was all too aware that Darth Vader's loyalty to him had begun to waver, starting from the space battle on Naboo. Would Vader attempt to double cross him?

" Of course he will", murmured the aged sith softly. " All apprentices must try to usurp their masters… it is in their nature".

But would Vader's attempted coup d'etat be for the sake of power… or for something far more sinister, the affections he had long abandoned?

Palpatine stretched out with his mind, through the invisible strings that tied the very fibers of the galaxy together, and breathed his question into the force. He waited patiently, never doubting that the response would come. But it did not, and slowly, just as the old sith lord was becoming irritated, an image of a snowy path split into two roads appeared before his mind's eye.

" A crossroad?" Whispered Palpatine. How strange. Usually he would get an answer much quicker… Did noone then, not even Vader, know what the sith apprentice would choose?

A pulsing red light appeared on the arm of Palpatine's throne, and the sith lord hit it, frowning. A blue hologram of Mara Jade kneeling before him appeared.

" Mara my child… how goes your assignment?" he asked.

" Well my master", she answered reverently. " Skywalker was easily charmed, and I believe that he is enjoying my company greatly". This was spoken without any amusement or warmth, merely as a statement of fact. " But my master… his mind is strong, and I dare not risk attempting to enter it, should he detect my presence".

" You've done well Mara. Continue to inform me regularly as to how your little romance progresses. I want to know everything about why Skywalker has been stationed on Shisperia by the rebels".

Mara gave a formal bow of her head. " Everything will be as you wish my master".

Palpatine smiled tersely.

" Good".

/

Vader swayed on the spot, the strength of the malevolent energies directed at Luke making him sick. If he didn't find his son soon, if he didn't get there before Palpatine did… and it might already be too late…

' Stop thinking about that!' he ordered himself. ' One thing at a time… you must find the rebels first'.

The sith lord fixed his mind upon the beacon pulling him towards the information he needed, and pushed his way through the crowd to find an elderly gran alien woman selling cheap wooden statues at an old booth that looked like it had seen far better days.

" You want one of these?" she asked him. " High quality, hand carved qitu wood! This one is for luck, this one for money-"

" I'm not interested in your carvings", Vader snapped. " I'm here for information".

She halted mid-banter, a wary look crossing her face. " Information about what? I don't know nothing, I'm just an old woman trying to make some credits to live by…"

" Say I'm interested in joining a certain… organization. Would you be able to help me out?"

The gran woman halted, eyeing him suspiciously. " Who told you to come here?"

" I guessed", Vader answered.

Worry spread across the old face like ripples in water. " I don't know 'bout no organizations! You want to buy a statue, huh? Otherwise, get lost!"

Her raised voice was catching attention. It was time for desperate measures.

Vader leaned in. " Look, I'm a j-jedi", he told her, his tongue stumbling over the old words. " I've got a lightsaber to prove it". And he showed her the weapon, blocking it from view from the others in the market with his back.

The old woman's eyes widened slightly, but she shook her head. " That don't tell me anything", she snapped. " You could have killed a jedi and stolen it or bought it somewhere for all I know. I want real proof".

Vader was tempted with a force choke, but decided that might not seem very jedi-like. Instead he stretched out with his mind and lifted a rough bird carving (it might have been a snake-eagle, or maybe a sparrow, it was hard to say) a couple of inches off the table.

" Is that proof enough?" he asked quietly.

The woman stared for a moment, then nodded. " Listen Mr. jedi, you buy one of my statues and show it to Raz at the 5th docking bay. Tell him this " the bird flies west to hide from the storm", alright?"

A minute later Vader was on his way, cold with determination, an exorbitantly pricey cheap carving in his pocket.

' I'm coming Luke', he told his son silently as he entered the docking bay. ' Wait just a little longer'.

/

It was after a very enjoyable day spent with Miss Nyx that Luke was making his way to the office of Commander Lieko. She really was a charming woman, easy to talk to, smiling and cheerful and so knowledgeable about Shisperia. He almost did feel like he was on a holiday and not a mission just looking into her lovely green eyes.

' Stop thinking about her', Luke told himself sternly. ' You don't want to get too caught up in thoughts about her so that you're distracted from your mission'. The young jedi knocked on the commander's door.

" Come in my boy!" roared Lieko. Luke made a silent note to himself: the commander had cameras outside his door. The young rebel entered, forcing a smile onto his face as his host grinned up at him from a thick armchair embroidered in gold thread.

" Well captain, did you have a good day?" he asked, winking roguishly.

Luke was, for once, able to reply honestly. " I did commander, thank you very much. Miss Nyx is indeed very charming".

" Good, good! I know she's got another lovely day planned for you tomorrow, maybe I can arrange with her to add a few… surprises into it".

" Sir, that sounds very pleasant, but much as I'm enjoying myself I do have some business to attend to".

Commander Lieko immediately looked worried. " My boy, don't you think you'd rather explore the planet a bit more? Really, there's no rush!"

' Why does he look so scared?' Luke wondered. Subtly he entered Commander Lieko's mind.

" I can assure you Commander, this visit is not anything like an investigation. I can assure you that I and my superiors are very aware of the excellent work you put into the project in question", Luke informed Lieko, realizing that the man was scared the amount of money he had siphoned from a sum meant to be used for the construction of the Death Star was being investigated. " I am only delivering some prisoners and reporting on the station's progress to my superiors".

Lieko relaxed. " Oh, well, if that's all my boy… well, I'm sure I can make arrangements for a trip in, say, two or three days?"

" Thank you very much commander", replied Luke, not wanting to press the man.

He stood up to go when a voice entered his head.

' _I'm coming Luke. Wait just a little longer'. _

Luke jumped.

' _Father?"_

' _Luke?" _

' _What are you talking about father?'_

' _Son, I can sense that you are in danger. You must be on your guard. I am coming as fast as I can'. _

Luke was warmed by that comment, but, forced himself to put it aside for the moment and turned to Commander Lieko.

" Thank you for your time sir", he told the man. " I will be retiring now".

" Sleep well my boy!" laughed the man, his good humor restored.

Luke hurried into his room.

' _You say I'm in danger father?'_

' _Yes! Are you doing something foolhardy for the rebels? You must stop it right away!'_

' _Father, I can't, it's too important!'_

' _Are you crazy? Luke, I know, I've known in the past when people were in danger and-'_

Luke was surprised by the pain he could feel from Vader.

' _Father?'_

' _I've known people were going to die before they did Luke, and…' _

' _You've seen me die father?'_

' _No, but you're in grave danger, I can sense it! Please Luke. Please…'_

Luke felt his eyes welling up, and hurriedly wiped them on his sleeve.

' _Son, I want you to get away from there before something happens to you. If you were hurt I-'_

' _Father? Father!' _Luke called desperately. But call as he would there was no answer, only the echoes of pain through the force…

_A.N.: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I've sort of set things up for the action to start happening, so things will heat up pretty soon! Thank you for reading, and may the force be with you! _


	8. Love and Duty

Chapter 8: Love and Duty

_Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, George Lucas does and I am thankful to him for creating such a wonderful story. This fanfiction is written for fun, not for monetary gain. _

He was in a strange, hushed moment, where all the world seemed frozen in a comfortable relaxing silence. Around him the only color he could see was a calm, neutral grey. He was not cold and not warm, he was simply there. And then slowly brilliant reds and pinks and greens and golds burst out around him in shining bubbles of light. Music started to play quietly, a light, cheerful waltz that he could vaguely remember dancing to once, a very long time ago. Inside his mind he was stepping along to the beat, twirling the phantom feeling of a woman who had been in his arms…

Who had she been? This thought trickled through his mind, bringing the first discontent with it. And the colors blossoming out around him started to darken slowly, gradually, until all was black, and yet he could see who he held in his arms.

It was a bleached skeleton.

Darth Vader screamed, and pain exploded through his head. The sith lord's eyes snapped open, and he stared up at the grim, tense faces of two humans and an orange twi'lek, all holding blasters pointed at him.

" What did the woman who gave you this tell you to say to me?" demanded the twi'lek. " My name is Raz".

Vader struggled to put his thoughts together, and recall that particular memory.

" The bird flies west to hide from the storm", the sith answered, ready to leap to his feet and attack these men.

Raz nodded quietly. " Get up" he ordered. " We'll take you to someone who will decide if you can join".

Vader stood shakily. " Do you normally attack new recruits?" he asked irritably.

" You came wearing the suit of an imperial pilot", responded one of the humans.

' _How could I have been so careless?' _Vader berated himself furiously. " A disguise. I recently escaped from an imperial prison". The lie flew quickly off his tongue; he had practiced his cover story several times on the journey there.

" Alright", responded the one named Raz warily. " Come with us. What name should we give our commanding officer?"

Vader gave a start, and reassembled his face into a calm mask.

" Anakin Skywalker".

/

It was early the next morning that Luke awake to meet Miss Nyx for breakfast. He had tried contacting Vader repeatedly, but had not met with any success. The young jedi had passed a sleepless night, a million scenarios of torture and death playing before his eyes. Despite his fears however, he was pleased to see the young lady.

" Good morning Miss Nyx", Luke greeted, smiling.

" Good morning. Are you ready for your assessment of the battle station today Captain Ozari?", replied Vanessa. Today she wore a slim fitting silver blouse cinched with a brown leather belt and billowy bluish green pants. Luke had to remind himself over and over that he would leave her forever shortly, but he could not help but feel overjoyed every time he saw her.

" Yes, I certainly am! But please, call me Tam!", the jedi answered, offering her his arm.

" On the condition that you refer to me as Vanessa", laughed the lady, accepting it and walking with him to the small but luxurious room set out for their breakfast.

" It's a deal Vanessa", Luke answered, savoring her name like the sweetest dessert.

" Did you sleep well?" she asked. " You look tired".

" I'm afraid not", the jedi replied. Her query prompted him to send out a message into the force.

' _Father? Father, where are you?'_

" I've recently been worried about… a relative of mine", he told her.

' _Luke?' _

' _Father!' _the boy exclaimed. _' Father, where have you been?'_

' _I was knocked unconscious, but it's fine, I will be there soon!' _

" Tam? Tam, what's wrong?"

Luke realized that he had not been listening to Vanessa, and hurriedly reassured her as he took his seat at the table. " I'm sorry, I was thinking for a moment… what did you say?"

" I asked if your relative was sick".

Luke thought of Vader's sea of victims, and of the heartbreak he carried with him constantly, the dark side that tore at his soul…

" Yes, you could say that". Luke answered. " He's been… sick for a very long time now… but I hope, I have to believe, that he'll get better… someday".

Vanessa placed a slender hand on his arm. " I'm sorry", she uttered quietly.

Luke tried his best to smile. " Thank you", he responded, trying to ignore the ache of his heart. " He has seemed better at times recently".

" You never know, it sounds like her could be recovering right now", Vanessa told him, smiling kindly in return. " Perhaps just your support is helping him feel better".

" You believe that?" Luke asked her, boyish hope in his eyes.

" I do", Vanessa responded. " Love is the best cure".

Luke smiled back at her, a real smile this time. " Thank so much Miss- that is, Vanessa. Just seeing you is enough to make a man believe in anything".

/

Mara Jade folded her napkin carefully in place as she stood do follow Skywalker from the breakfast table. This man, he was so strange… he was supposed to be her enemy, but when he spoke to her, and smiled at her, she found that she was starting to forget that, and she must not abandon her duty. Was he really the sort of person who could destroy a space station full of millions of beings? He seemed… well, he seemed unnervingly kind and likeable, and when he had spoken of his sick relative he had appeared quite vulnerable.

" _I will not forget my duty", _Mara told herself, even as she smiled and took Skywalker's arm once more. _" My duty is to do Emperor Palpatine's bidding. Anything else is unworthy. If my master wishes for this man to die, then he shall die, and by my hand. I will do as I am bidden". _

But she kept hearing his words in her head.

" _Vanessa… Just seeing you enough to make a man believe in anything…" _

/

General Dodonna sat back in his chair with a relieved sigh, smiling at the other rebel leaders.

" Well ladies, gentlemen, I think we've just made a wonderful addition to the alliance, don't you agree?"

They grinned back, nodding enthusiastically. Imagine, an old jedi hero reappearing suddenly after all these years! He would really give the troops some morale. After all, a man who could deflect blaster bolts with a blade was very impressive!

" Yes, fancy seeing Anakin Skywalker after all these years! And Commander Skywalker's father no less!"

Suddenly the doors to the meeting room swished open, and Mon Mothma entered. She had been meeting with some contacts of hers that morning and had not been able to meet their new recruit.

" Mon Mothma my dear, you'll never guess who joined the alliance!" exclaimed Dodonna. The woman gave him an amused smile.

" Emperor Palpatine?" Everyone laughed uproariously.

" Better, better yet!" exclaimed the general. " Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker!"

The woman dropped the data pads she had been holding. " You… you're not serious?"

" I am!" laughed the general. " Turns out he's Luke Skywalker's father! Fancy that, eh? Mind you, you won't be able to meet him today, as soon as we let him in he said her had to go after the boy! Anakin says that he senses danger for Luke through the force. I'm not worried about that, personally, they didn't call him the hero with no fear for nothing! He'll take care of the boy alright".

" You let him join? And you sent him after Luke?" Asked Mothma. She did not seem to be sharing in the common joyful mood. On the contrary, she seemed quite upset.

" Why yes. Is that… a problem?"

" Fool!" shouted the rebel leader, clutching the japor snippet at her throat. " Anakin Skywalker is Darth Vader!"

_A.N.: Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I had fun writing it! Next chapter, Luke and Vader are reunited! If you liked it, please leave a review! Thank you so much for reading! _


	9. Gone

Chapter 9: Gone

_Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, George Lucas does and I am thankful to him for creating such a wonderful story. This fanfiction is written for fun, not for monetary gain. _

Luke stepped off the shuttle, his fingers brushing against the bomb in his pocket and forcing himself to look pleased at the groveling that followed as he entered the Death Star.

" _Is this what father has to put up with all the time? How does he stand it?"_ wondered the jedi. He resolutely brushed aside all thoughts that Vader might like it.

Miss Nyx was looking a bit subdued as she walked beside him.

" Vanessa?" he asked tentatively. " Are you alright?"

She looked up, startled, and smiled. The smile sent warmth blossoming inside him, brushing aside his efforts at indifference.

" I am, thank you Tam", she replied.

" Good", the jedi answered. But as he turned away to pretend to listen to Commander Lieko's descriptions of the many hangars on board the Death Star, Luke came to a realization.

He could not kill Vanessa. He would have to get her off the Death Star before he set off the bomb.

/

Han fidgeted nervously behind the wheel of the clunky cargo freighter he was driving. He had not thought that they would be boarded by imperials before being allowed near the Death Star. In the passenger seat Leia gave him a worried look, although she struggled to look calm when the leader of the stormtroopers turned to them.

" What were your names?" he asked. He was a thin man whose skin was very pale, probably from being in space for a long time.

" I'm Adrian Trello, and this is my sister Stella", Han replied. " We're bringin' a shipment of cloth to Chandrila".

" Hmph… let's see your identification, and your shipping license".

Han pulled out the (forged) documents in question and handed them over. The man turned them over for a long moment, then nodded and returned them to the smuggler.

" These seem to be in order", he uttered. " We will finish investigating in about half an hour. If we find nothing compromising, you will be free to go".

' _Half an hour?' _Thought Han irritably. He was jumpy enough as it was! However, Leia, seeing his irritation and worry, cut in.

" Thank you sir", she responded quickly. " Please tell us if you need us to open any compartments or anything like that".

And as the imperials walked off, she threw Han a warning look.

The two had been told by Mon Mothma that Luke would infiltrate the Death Star that day, and when they told her that they had been unable to gain admittance to the ship, she had ordered them to at least get as close to the battle station as possible in case Luke should need a get away ship.

" We'll be out of here soon", Leia told Han. " I'm sure they'll be done fast-"

She cut herself off as a terrible feeling came over here, a terrifying premonition of imminent danger. And, wrestling with this strange sentiment, Leia turned to Han-

In time to see a blaster bolt rip viciously into his flesh.

/

Vader watched as the Death Star grew ever closer. He'd used the jedi mind trick to get passage on a ship of imperial soldiers nearing the battle station. They were now convinced that he was a highly decorated major, and were treating him with the corresponding respect.

Vader could hardly manage to respond civilly to the men. Every moment the sense of danger he felt directed at Luke was steadily mounting. The boy could be killed at any moment! Couldn't this ship go any faster?

" Shouldn't we be hurrying?" he asked, strengthening the suggestion of his words with the force. " I have a pressing appointment on board the station".

" Of course sir, I'll go speak with the pilot", responded one of the men immediately. Vader nodded his thanks, trying to control his worry.

/

Luke glanced worriedly at Miss Nyx. Commander Lieko had informed them that they were approaching the power generators of the Death Star, and this was where he intended to plant the bomb. Afterwards he would have half an hour to get off the station. He couldn't leave her on it!

" Commander Lieko, would you mind if I went to get some lunch with Miss Nyx?"

" No, not at all my boy!" replied the imperial jovially. He had gradually relaxed when Luke had shown no suspicion of the money he had stolen.

" This way Tam", Vanessa told him, smiling. Luke followed her until they came to a quiet corridor, and pulled her into an empty room.

" What-?" Vanessa began, but Luke cut her off.

" Listen Vanessa, I can't talk for long. To sum things up, I'm not an imperial. My name is Luke Skywalker and I'm a member of the rebel alliance. I'm here to plant a bomb on the battle station. But I can't do that while you're still on it. You've got to leave right away, Vanessa, or you'll be killed!"

" W… why are you telling me this?" demanded the beautiful red-haired woman, staring up at Luke. Confusion and fear were plain in her eyes.

" Because…" Luke hesitated, a strange sort of tightness in his chest. " Because I love you. From the moment we met I loved you, and I can't bear to be the reason you die. Please… please leave right away". He used the force as he told her this, hoping that her mind would be swayed easily enough that she would obey him.

" Please Vanessa… will you leave?" She stared up at him, her stunning emerald eyes very bright. Slowly, she nodded.

" Thank you", whispered Luke. And then, because she had not screamed, because she was still there, was not running from him, he leaned forwards and gently pressed his lips to hers. A light shudder wracked her petite form, but she did not fight the kiss.

" I love you. I love you so much Vanessa. Now leave, quickly!" And having said this the jedi strode quickly from the room, both love and pain in his heart. He left the room in an odd kind of muted silence.

Mara Jade, deadly assassin and Emperor's Hand, sank onto a metal crate, her heart full of confusion. He loved her, Skywalker loved her. How was this possible? It was a heady gift that he offered, a gift that she had never been given before. But images of Palpatine swam before her mind, interspersed with Luke's face, Luke kissing her and saying he loved her again and again, Luke trying to convince her with the force to leave the battle station, to get to safety…

She knew her duty. Why was it so hard right now to act upon it?

With shaking hands Mara reached inside a hidden pocket of her shirt and pulled out her violet lightsaber. The weapon was as heavy as her conscience, as heavy as sin itself.

" I will do my duty", she whispered, her voice cracking upon the words. Slowly she pulled herself up and made for the door.

/

Luke had entered the power room with more use of the jedi mind trick. Quietly he found a power outlet and in seconds had attached the bomb to it. He had thirty minutes to get off of this ship. He stood up and edged away from the power source, when a sudden presence filled the room, a dark and powerful presence that he feared and yet longed for as well.

" Going so soon Luke?" asked the voice, and it was less deep than he'd remembered it to be, less mechanical and clipped.

" F-Father?" whispered the boy, sounding much less bold than he would have liked.

" Why did you come here Luke? I told you that you were in danger!"

" Were you worried father?" Luke asked, a bit of boldness creeping back into his voice. Boldness, and a bit of hope that the jedi in vain tried to conceal. However, there was no reply. Luke walked cautiously around one of the generators to see Vader standing about ten feet away… maskless.

Luke gasped, staring at the handsome, uncovered face. The hair was curly and blond like his, the eyes the same shade, even the noses chins similar. It was true that his father's skin was paler, but that was probably from years of wearing a mask.

" Father… is that you?"

And the lips moved, and the stranger answered him: " Yes".

" We… we look alike". And Luke realized that there were tears in his eyes, which he hastily blinked away.

" I suppose we do". Luke looked up, hurt by the lack of emotion in the other's voice.

" Why did you come Luke?"

This time the young jedi did not reply. He was too overwhelmed to try and answer the cold question, and so was wholly unprepared for Vader entering his mind… and grasping the image of the bomb on the power generator.

" You would destroy another few thousand lives, would you Luke? It is not only soldiers that live on the Death Star. There are doctors and women and rebel prisoners… even a few children".

Luke stared at the cold face before him, trying to think of something, anything to say. But nothing came to mind, and he was stuck listening to his ragged breathing, staring into those empty eyes, hurting, hurting so much…

Then Vader leaped forwards suddenly and lashed out with the force- but not at Luke.

Luke stared in horror as Miss Nyx's slim form crashed suddenly against the wall.

" No!" he exclaimed, running towards her, but Vader ran in front of him and caught his arms, keeping him from her.

" Why did you hurt her? She's an innocent! Let me go, let her go!"

" You fool, she's an imperial assassin! Her name is Mara Jade, she reports directly to the emperor!"

Luke shook his head, unable to believe the words, but Vader sent images into his vulnerable mind, images of Miss Nyx wielding a purple blade, slashing through men and women with a terrifying kind of calm.

" Palpatine must have send her to finish you off, and she's his best assassin!"

" No, no, oh god…" sobbed Luke, tears flowing unchecked down his cheeks now. He tried to pull away from Vader, who let him go this time. The jedi stumbled towards the fallen woman, and, catching sight of the lightsaber held limply in her hand, fell to the ground, his face in his hands.

" She would have killed you Luke. Why are you upset?"

Luke, with great effort, brought his gaze up to meet Vader's. He could not form a coherent response, but the agony and pleading in his eyes made it clear what he was asking his father.

Vader stared at Luke, a strange expression of fear on his previously emotionless face. The deadly sith lord took a step back.

Luke stood slowly, unsteadily. " There's not much time before the bomb goes off", he whispered, his voice hoarse and shaky. " We can still make it… you could come with me".

Vader stared at Luke. His son was asking him to leave… to leave everything, and come with him?

" Luke…" he uttered, unsure of what to say.

" Father, please…" and the boy held forth a hand, bringing to Vader's mind that accursed day on Bespin, when he had mutilated his own son…

But he had a duty to the officers on this battle station. That had not used to mean something, but now Vader could not stop thinking of them, loyal men that they were, following him despite his harshness and cruelty, and he could not bring himself to abandon them to their fate.

" Luke, I… I can't".

" Why not? Father, please… please, this once, be here for me!"

" The men on this ship, they serve under me. I cannot simply leave them. Luke…"

The boy had crumbled onto the ground once more.

" Luke, I can't…" And Vader stretched out a hand, to rest on the boy's shoulder, to help him up, to comfort him, but his sith instincts screamed in horror, and he withdrew it before Luke could catch sight of it. The boy slowly pulled himself to his feet and threw Mara Jade's limp body over his shoulder.

" Fine", Luke said quietly, his eyes meeting Vader's. They were wet and pained, but they were also something Vader had never seen in them before: resigned. Like he had finally given up on his murderous excuse for a father.

" Fine", the jedi uttered once more.

" I'm going".

And in a moment he was gone.

_Author's Note: Hi everyone, it sure has… been a while… I'm sorry, I took way too long, I'm awful! I hope this long chapter makes up for it! By the way, I've never mentioned how I came up with Mara's fake name. " Vanessa" is the name Ursula uses in the Little Mermaid, and I liked it because an evil character used it when she masqueraded as a good guy. " Nyx" is the name of the greek goddess of the night. _

_Again, I'm really sorry this took so long! Thank you to everyone who read and/or reviewed, if you liked it please leave some feedback! _


	10. Something Right?

Chapter 10: Something Right?

_I do not own Star Wars, George Lucas does and I am thankful to him for creating such a wonderful story. This fanfiction is written for fun, not for monetary gain._

_Previously: __The two had been told by Mon Mothma that Luke would infiltrate the Death Star that day, and when they told her that they had been unable to gain admittance to the ship, she had ordered them to at least get as close to the battle station as possible in case Luke should need a get away ship._

_" We'll be out of here soon", Leia told Han. " I'm sure they'll be done fast-"_

_She cut herself off as a terrible feeling came over here, a terrifying premonition of imminent danger. And, wrestling with this strange sentiment, Leia turned to Han-_

_In time to see a blaster bolt rip viciously into his flesh._

" Han!" screamed Leia. She looked up to see the blank white masks of stormtroopers looking down at her, one of their blasters smoking. The officer who had first spoken to them had a nasty sneer upon his face.

" Fool", he snapped. " Did you really think that we would not recognize a member of the Rebel Alliance, Princess Leia Organa? Surrender now and we will not be forced to harm you. The same cannot be said for your companion however, he is worthless scum and of little use to us".

Leia felt hot, angry tears welling up in her eyes. Han was hurt, possibly dead, and it was her fault! She should have worn some kind of disguise, she should have seen this coming, she should have planned for it!

" Stand up, and put your hands where we can see them", commanded the officer.

Leia began to stand, but her progress was hampered by Han, who had fallen into her lap.

" Please", she said quietly. " Please tend to my companion. He is innocent, he did not know that I am a Rebel. He is an honest man, I swear it to you!" And despite Han's many shortcomings, Leia truly believed her declarations about his character, therefore it was a surprise when the men laughed loudly.

" Innocent? Him! Look at the man! A drunken, misguided fool by the looks of him. He'll never amount to anything, and he's never been honest! Forget about him Princess! Just be glad that we aren't shooting you as well", sneered the officer.

Leia looked down at the handsome man in her arms. His hair was overgrown, his chin was unshaven, his clothes were unwashed. And yet he carried with him an unmistakable air of good. How could they not see it?

Leia looked at the steadily growing bloodstain on Han's front, marring the white of his shirt. He was injured, the man she loved was injured, and he might quite possibly die.

Leia looked up slowly, and her eyes flashed with malice.

/

Vader stared numbly at the empty space before him where Luke had been. His son's words rang in his head over and over.

" _Father, please… please, this once, be here for me!"_

" _Fine. Fine. I'm going". _

" I couldn't abandon my men Luke", Vader whispered. " Damn it!" he shouted suddenly, ramming his mechanical hand into the wall. Strengthened by the dark side, his fist left a deep indent.

" Damn it! Why is it that the first time I try to do something right this happens?"

Vader stopped, taken aback by his own words.

He had protected his men. Officers who feared him, many of whom no doubt wished him dead. They were far from model citizens; many were corrupt, power hungry, drunken brutes.

But then there were men like Piett. Honest, loyal, brave…

Since when did he care about his men?

A flashing light caught his attention, and Vader cursed. Caught up in his thoughts as he was, he had neglected to disarm the bomb. Quickly the sith lord used the force to pop open the smooth cylinder, and with a slash of his lightsaber rendered the device useless.

" It's been a long time since you've been so selfless Anakin", said a calm voice, and Vader whirled around to come face to face with a shimmering blue apparition.

" O-Obi-Wan?" he gasped, astounded. " This is impossible! How…?"

" There is no death, only the force", responded his former mentor, smiling sadly.

Vader began to recover from his shock, and rage returned. " Why have you returned? Have you come to taunt me, to turn my son against me as you did my wife?" he snarled.

" I've come to help you", Obi-Wan answered, and his calm demeanor enraged Vader further.

" Help me? You've come to help me! This is rich indeed, coming from the man who gave me the injuries that forced me to wear a life support suit for twenty years!"

" And who do you suppose it is that healed those injuries?" asked Obi-Wan sharply. " Do you think there are any other jedi who would show you leniency for your crimes?"

Vader stared at his former mentor, hating the hope that flickered within himself. " I don't believe it", he replied.

" Well then, why don't you look inside of my mind?" asked the jedi quietly. " I won't hide anything".

Vader stared into his former mentor's eyes challengingly, then nodded. Obi-Wan spread his arms as an invitation, and the sith lord dove into the other's memories.

Vader saw himself through Obi-Wan's eyes, tumbling to the burning ground of Mustafar, his limbs severed. He felt the older jedi's pain, betrayal and loss as he shouted " You were my brother Anakin! And I loved you!" He felt the truth behind the words.

Vader saw long, miserable stretches of brown desert. He saw Obi-Wan sitting within a hut, turning over the lightsaber that had once belonged to Anakin Skywalker, his face tight with pain.

He saw the old jedi watching Luke playing from a distance, the image of another young boy with blue eyes and blond hair beside him, and then the two images blurred with tears.

He saw his own figure, through Obi-Wan's eyes, grey durasteel walls around them. The two began to fight and Vader could feel the jedi's pain. There came a cry from the side, and Vader saw Luke, and felt Obi-Wan's affection for the boy, then the jedi's burst of surprise as suppressed memories of Naboo came rushing back. He saw his younger self, once more fighting side by side with Obi-Wan to recover the antidote for Padme… The Obi-Wan upon the Death Star turned back to Vader's dark form and smiled, just before his head was severed.

Vader saw Obi-Wan arguing vehemently with other jedi as Vader gave the order for the imperials to retreat, sparing Luke and the other Rebels. Finally Obi-Wan, disregarding the wishes of the others, stretched out with the force and sent light, healing energy towards Vader. He saw himself ripping off a glove and staring at his whole hand in disbelief, saw Obi-Wan smiling painfully.

Vader felt his former mentor's love, as strong if not stronger than it had been before Mustafar.

" _You were my brother Anakin! And I loved you!" _

Stunned, Vader pulled back from Obi-Wan's mind.

" I don't understand", he whispered hoarsely, and to his horror he realized that his face was wet with tears. Obi-Wan smiled at him quietly, but the smile was filled with regret.

" What don't you understand Anakin? How I could have left you, if I truly cared about you?"

Vader nodded, unable to speak.

" You betrayed the jedi order Anakin. You killed younglings, you threatened the wellbeing of the galaxy. I knew that you must be stopped, and so I defeated you. And yet… I couldn't deliver the final blow. It would have been far more kind, yet I selfishly couldn't deliver you from your pain. Even after you had killed so many, even after you had turned to the dark side and tried to kill me as well, I couldn't rid myself of those feelings.

I failed you Anakin. If you'd felt that you could confide in me, instead of relying upon Palpatine, then this never would have happened".

Vader found himself shaking his head. " My mistakes were mine alone", he said quietly. " You are not to blame".

" You admit then… that you should not have turned?" Obi-Wan's eyes were wide with hope.

Vader turned away. " I cannot say what you wish me to", he responded. " I don't know what is right anymore. I don't know who to trust".

Obi-Wan nodded quietly, although he looked pained. " I understand", the jedi replied. " But even if you can't trust me, isn't there someone who you still have a duty to protect?"

Vader understood right away. " Luke hates me", he snapped. " And with reason. I have failed him, every time he has most needed me I have failed him".

" Did you fail him today?" Obi-Wan asked. " Luke has always needed Anakin Skywalker. Today you protected your men, despite it hurting Luke. But had Luke understood your motives, don't you think he would have been glad that you acted as you did? The last time you protected so many people was when you were a jedi. Sith are never as selfless as you were today".

Vader hesitated. " No matter whether I did the right thing or not, Luke still hates me".

" Well then, why don't you go after him? The danger to your men is gone".

" How…"

" The Rebels know you as a jedi hero, don't they? What is to stop you from returning to them?"

Luke's pained face flashed before Vader's eyes.

" Alright", the sith lord whispered, then his voice gained resolve. " Alright", Vader said again, more firmly, and he sprinted from the room.

Obi-Wan watched him go, regret and hope battling within him. Like it or not, he was lying to Vader once more. Obi-Wan was sending his former apprentice into danger, for there was one Rebel who knew exactly who Anakin Skywalker truly was…

/

Luke maneuvered Mara Jade's limp body into a stolen shuttle. He set her down on the copilot's chair and shackled her arm onto the chair, strengthening the binders with the force. He flicked on the ship's transmitter.

" I've submitted clearance. You're going to let me out of the hangar", he told the officer at the other side of the connection, infusing his voice with the power of the force.

" You've submitted clearance. I'm going to let you out of the hangar", the man replied, and a moment later Luke was free in space.

The jedi breathed a sigh of relief, and tried to calm himself. However, the effort was impossible. Two betrayals in one day was simply too much for him to take. His father… well, he should have known to expect nothing from his father. But Vanessa- Mara Jade… he had thought he'd truly found love.

Luke cursed the force. What had his powers brought him but heartbreak?

Forcing himself to stay focused upon the task at hand, Luke contacted Leia and Han.

" Leia, where are you?" he asked the moment the connection came through.

" We're on Shisperia, Luke", the princess replied. " I'm sorry, I couldn't wait, Han was hurt".

" It's alright, I've gotten away fine", the jedi told her. " Is Han going to be alright?"

" Oh yes, the doctors say he'll make a full recovery, although it may take a while", Leia answered. Luke frowned, hearing a strained note in her voice.

" Leia… is everything alright?" he asked.

" Yes, everything's fine! I've just been worried about Han, that's all", she told him. Luke sensed the lie through the force, however for the moment he decided not to ask any questions.

" Okay, I'll return to Shisperia and we'll plan our next move together", he told her. " My cover has been blown here".

" Alright, see you later", Leia told him, breaking the connection. Luke stared at the crackling transmitter, worry gnawing at him. The princess hadn't inquired into how he had been found out, and she clearly was hiding something from him.

Something was terribly wrong.

_A.N.: Hi everyone, it's been a while… I'm so sorry! I've been very busy, but I still should have updated earlier! Good news though, I have now gotten through a lot of stuff (including the performance of a short play I wrote) and have more free time to write! _

_As I was writing this chapter I realized that I haven't been too clear about when this story fits into the original timeline. " Vision of the Past" happens after " The Empire Strikes Back", however in my story Han escaped from Bespin with Luke and Leia. _

_Thank you for reading, if you liked it please leave a review! Once again, I'm sorry it took so long! But please don't worry about me not finishing " Stained Black", I've put lots of time into this story and I definitely intend to finish it! _


	11. Ace up the Sleeve

Chapter 11: Ace up the Sleeve

_Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, George Lucas does and I am thankful to him for creating such a wonderful story. This fanfiction is written for fun, not for monetary gain. _

Darth Vader sat back in the cockpit of a stolen ship, watching the swirl of hyperspace before him. He felt shaky and nervous, and although he tried to tell himself that it was because he was entering the Rebel base, a dangerous place for him, he knew that it was really at the thought of confronting Luke.

' _What will he say?' _Vader wondered. _' Will he not even listen to me? Will he run away?' _

The sith lord tried to plan what to say, but nothing came to mind. How could he explain his feelings to his son when Vader didn't fully understand them himself?

' _I'll make it up as I go along',_ he decided finally. _' If I think about this too much I'll just turn back'. _

Vader looked up and with a start realized that he had arrived at the Rebel base. The sith lord turned on his intercom.

" This is A-Anakin Skywalker, requesting clearance to land", he said, stumbling over the old name once more.

There was a long pause during which all Vader could hear was crackling static and his own rough breathing.

' _Why were they taking so long?' _

The dark lord scanned the dark sky, searching for any fighter ships coming to ambush him. He saw nothing.

' _What was wrong? Were the rebels still there? Had they been attacked? Was Luke alright?'_

" Request granted General Skywalker", responded a voice, and Vader let out a shaky breath. " Proceed to the nearest docking bay".

The sith lord followed these instructions, forcing himself through calming exercises and struggling to relax his tense muscles. He alighted in a hangar and popped open the hatch of his ship, seeing a group of rebels standing beneath the ship as well as General Crix Madine. They all looked rather grim.

Vader forced himself to smile, knowing that it was too late to get back in the ship. " Gentlemen", he said, momentarily surprised that the movement didn't tug at scar tissue. " How are you?"

" Well, thank you General", replied Madine. " I trust your mission went well?"

" It did", Vader answered. _Did they know or not?_ " Luke is safe, he and I were separated, but he should be back soon".

" I'm glad to hear it", Madine responded. " Mon Mothma would like to hear your report in person".

" Certainly", Vader said, keeping his face calm, which was difficult after twenty years of being able to hide his emotions behind a mask. He fell into step beside General Madine, trying to ignore the soldiers behind them. Finally they arrived at a large set of white doors emblazoned with the crest of the Rebel Alliance.

" In here General", Madine told him, keying in a code and motioning Vader through the doors. The sith lord smiled tensely and stepped through, itching to snatch up his lightsaber.

Vader was confronted with a row of blasters aimed straight at him and a sudden loss of contact with the force.

The doors slid shut behind him.

/

Han was awoken by the sound of quiet sobbing. He felt a light pressure on his hand, the cold wetness of drops of water falling upon his face. There was a painful throbbing in his chest, and he wished he were unconscious once more. The sobbing grew a bit louder, and Han opened his eyes to see Leia, holding his hand, her tears tumbling onto his face.

" Leia, what's wrong?" he asked, too concerned to make any gibes.

" Han!" she gasped. " I-I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was crying on you, I'll just go now-". She tried to pull away her hand, but he tightened his hold on it.

" No, wait!" he exclaimed. " Has something happened? Where are we? I remember getting shot… Did the imps capture us?"

" No, we got away", Leia replied. " We're back on Shisperia in a medcentre. You're going to be fine, it just might take you a bit of time to recover".

" Then why-?"

" I've just been- concerned, that's all!" Leia stammered, not meeting his eyes.

" You're lying", Han said bluntly. " The imps didn't hurt you, did they?"

" No, that's not it!" Leia snapped. " I'm fine, okay?" She stormed out of the room, startling a medic who had come in to check on Han.

/

Leia rushed into the room she had been provided with, locking the door behind her. This done, she tumbled onto the bed, her vision blurred with tears.

" What have I done, what have I done?" she groaned repeatedly, her voice getting louder and louder until finally she was screaming. Leia took a deep breath and tried to force away the images, but it was no use.

_She was looking up from Han's lifeless body, up at that horrible imperial officer smirking at her, and something inside of her snapped…_

_The officer was staggering back, clutching at his throat, her hand was thrust forwards, strangling the air, her heart was alive with vicious pleasure… _

_The stormtroopers were firing at her, but the bolts missed, somehow she had deflected them to soar back into the imperials, they were all falling, falling… _

_And then suddenly she was standing in a pool of blood, bodies all around her. _

Leia curled up into a ball, her hands clamped over her eyes, wishing for nothing more than to forget.

/

" Hello Vader", said a quiet female voice, and Mon Mothma stepped out from the side of the chamber. She was beside a large reptile that Vader recognized, with a surge of horror, as a ysalamiri. The creatures were capable of blocking the force. The assembled rebels glared at him, their eyes alight with hatred, but they kept their blasters steady.

Vader drew his lightsaber.

" Drop it", snapped Mothma. " Without the use of the force, do you truly think that you could block shots from every one of these soldiers?"

Vader glared at her, but set the weapon down, feeling terribly vulnerable as he did so.

" That's better", said the Rebel leader. " Why don't you have a seat?"

She motioned to a table in the middle of the circular room. Vader slowly sat down opposite her. Mothma pressed a button on the table and a shimmering wall of light shot up from the ground, separating them from the rebels.

" They can still see us and see if you try to hurt me", she informed him, " However they cannot hear what we are saying".

" How did you know?" Vader demanded. " How did you know who I am?"

" I'm the one asking the questions, not you Vader", she snapped. " Although I believe I know all the answers. You came here after Luke, didn't you?"

The sith lord kept his gaze impassive.

" You want to capture him and make him serve you as a sith lord", she uttered, her voice heavy with contempt. " You would corrupt your own son. That is despicable Vader, even for a monster like you".

' _Obi-Wan lied to me', _Vader thought. _' He said it was safe for me to come here. He wanted me to be captured'_.

This thought caused a leaden numbness to spread through the sith lord, and without thinking her responded with the truth.

" That's not why I came", he said softly.

" Oh?" Mothma asked, leaning forwards. " Then why?"

Vader smiled humorlessly. " You wouldn't believe me if I told you". _' He lied to me, he lied again, he betrayed me again…'_

" Try me", challenged the Rebel leader. And again, for some reason Vader told the truth.

" I wanted to talk to Luke… to explain why I couldn't come with him and leave my station".

" And why was that?" she asked dubiously. Of course she didn't believe him.

" Because I have a duty to my men", the sith lord answered. " Why are you asking these questions anyway? Aren't you going to bring out the interrogation droids?"

" That comes afterwards", Mothma replied with venom. " You enjoy the reprieve while it lasts. Right now I want to know why you're pretending to care about Luke. Do you think you can fool us into believing that you give a damn about anyone other than yourself? Sith lords don't know what love is".

Her words sparked anger underneath Vader's cloak of numbness.

" Who was his mother anyway?" Mothma continued. " An imperial whore? A starving woman you picked up off the streets? Or perhaps she wasn't willing…"

Vader leaped to his feet, stung to fury. " How dare you?" he snarled. " She was not… she was not a concubine, and I certainly did not force myself upon her!"

Mothma raised a dubious eyebrow, and her hard brown eyes sent a stab of pain through him. Vader slowly sat back down.

" She was an angel…", he breathed, the same, constant pain at her loss tearing at his heart. Vaguely he became aware that Mothma was saying something and looked up.

" … Recognize this?" she asked, dangling an object before him, and Vader saw red.

" That… the japor snippet… how did you get that? You stole from her grave! How dare you dishonor her! You thief! You filthy grave robber!"

Mothma stared at him calmly. Vader felt tears running down his cheeks but he did not care, his pain and rage had rendered him insensible to the humiliation of showing weakness before his greatest enemy.

" I did not steal it", Mothma said quietly, walking around the table. Vader tensed up, sure that she was going to hit him. The Rebel leader grabbed him suddenly, and before Vader could understand what was happening, she had kissed him.

The sith lord stared at Mothma as she drew back, his mouth agape. " You…" he stammered. " You…" He could not recall having been more confused in his entire life.

" I did not steal it", Mothma said again, her face flushed slightly. " It is mine. It has always been mine".

Vader stared at her, and her face changed suddenly. Mothma set down the hand held projector, a clever invention that could give you another's appearance. She looked at him with a very familiar face.

" P-Padme?" Vader gasped.

_A.N.: Hey guys! How's that for a quick update, eh? Maybe quick enough to merit some reviews? Oh, and in case you didn't recognize the expression (I know there are readers from several countries), having an " ace up your sleeve" means that you have a hidden advantage._

_Thank you for reading, I hope you're still enjoying, and I hope you liked the plot twists! What do you think of what Leia did? And we are going to be seeing a lot more of Padme now! Thanks again, please let me know what you thought, and may the force be with you! _


	12. At a Disadvantage

Chapter 12: At a Disadvantage

_Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, George Lucas does and I am thankful to him for creating such a wonderful story. This fanfiction is written for fun, not for monetary gain. _

" Anakin?" Her sweet voice roused him.

" Hm?" the jedi asked, turning to his beautiful wife. She was smiling at him fondly.

" Oh Anakin, always such a dreamer", Padme smiled. " What were you thinking about?"

Anakin smiled back at her. " About you, me, Luke", he told her, looking at the bundle in her arms. " I can't wait to hear him speak, see him walk, fly… it's so exciting Angel".

Padme leaned in for a kiss. " I love you Anakin", she replied. " You're going to be a wonderful father, I know it". He grinned at this. " Just like you will be a wonderful mother".

" But you know, you need to learn how to hold him Anakin!" she told him. " Here, take Luke". And she held out the bundle that was their son.

" What if I drop him?" he asked. Padme laughed. " You won't darling. Here, come on! He's your son!" And she handed him the bundle.

Anakin cradled Luke against him gently. A great wave of tenderness overwhelmed him. " Oh Padme", he sighed. " He's so beautiful". He looked up at his wife's beaming face, then back down at his son. Luke's brilliant blue eyes stared up at him from a perfect, sweet face. Anakin leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to his son's forehead. And as he leaned back up something began to change.

The patch of skin that he had kissed darkened until it was an ashen shade of grey. The ominous color began to spread all over the boy.

" What?" gasped Anakin, horrified. " What's happening?" He reached for the force but found nothing, nothing to help him. What once had been an ever present hum of power in his mind was now dead.

Luke, his skin now all grey, began to grow thinner and thinner, his huge blue eyes still staring piercingly at Anakin. The child's bones protruded from his skin, grew more and more pronounced until suddenly Anakin was holding a skeleton. He looked to Padme, terrified, hoping that she would somehow be able to reverse the damage. She was staggering back from him, tears rolling down her cheeks.

" You killed him! How could you? You killed our son, Vader! You monster!"

And the tears she shed were dark red…

Suddenly Luke grew more and more heavy, until Anakin's arms gave way and the skeleton tumbled to the ground, shattering into pieces, blue eyes screaming at his father.

" No!" exclaimed Anakin, agonized. He turned to Padme, and was confronted with a second skeleton, bloody tears still falling from her staring brown eyes.

" Murderer!" she shrieked, and Vader woke up with a start.

/

Gasping, the sith lord disentangled himself from the sheets of his bed and sat up slowly. The gruesome images of his nightmare still danced before his eyes. He didn't dare try to fall asleep again.

There was a soft whooshing sound accompanied by stark white light, and Vader turned to see the door of his cell opening. Two of his six guards stood by the doorway nervously.

" Hey you! What's with all the noise?" demanded one.

" Nightmare", grunted Vader irritably. Tempting as it was to strangle the guards, Padme had ordered him kept in this cell, and he had no intention of upsetting her.

" A nightmare? How old are you?" chuckled the other man. Vader clenched his fists. " Sod off", he snapped.

" Ooh, tough guy!" laughed the first guard. " Well, shut up and keep your nightmares to yourself girlie!" With this parting jibe the guards stepped back outside, closing the door behind them.

They would never realize how close they had come to death.

Vader walked to the refresher and splashed water on his face, wanting to stay alert and prevent all possibility of his falling asleep again. There were still three hours before morning, before he would see Padme again.

Padme…

He recalled the conversation he'd had with her after that startling, beautiful revelation.

_Vader stared up at Padme's beautiful face, flushed slightly after the kiss that she had given him, the japor snippet clutched in her hand. _

" _Padme… how are you alive? I thought… I thought I killed you", he whispered. _

" _You didn't kill me", she answered. " I was knocked unconscious and began going into labor. I nearly died giving birth when my memories that you suppressed came back". _

" _The memories… of Naboo? When Dooku tried to kill you?" _

" _Yes", she replied. " I realized that in the future you would regret what you had done, that you would still keep your love for me. This gave me the strength to keep living, and I was able to survive giving childbirth. _

_When I had sufficiently recovered, Obi-Wan told me that Emperor Palpatine would kill any force sensitive children that he could find, especially any as powerful as yours". _

" _So you hid Luke?" Vader asked. She gave him a long look before replying. _

" _Yes", she answered, almost cautiously. " Yes, Obi-Wan said that Luke should be hidden, and the farther he was from me, the safer he was. It hurt me to give up my child, but I was willing to do whatever was necessary to protect him from the sith". _

_Vader winced slightly at this, but nodded and waited for her to continue. _

" _The real Mon Mothma was killed by an assassination attempt upon several political figures. I assumed her identity and founded the Rebel alliance in order to overthrow Palpatine and, at first, to keep a powerful position where I would hopefully be able to contact you and help you turn back. _

_However, two things kept me from doing so. One, that you probably had not yet traveled back to Naboo, for I knew that that visit took place when Luke was a grown man. Without you going back the future could be changed and I might not have survived. The second reason was that I was becoming more and more important in the Rebel alliance as the organization become stronger and more dangerous to the empire. I could not let my desire to be with you cause the entire galaxy to suffer". _

_As she said this last bit Padme was fighting back tears. _

" _I understand", Vader uttered quietly. " You were always such a strong advocate of democracy. I would not want you to give up on what you believe in". _

" _Anakin", she said hesitantly. " Do you… now that I've explained everything, now that you've been to Naboo, do you believe in it too?" _

_Vader looked up at her, his heart numb. " I don't know what I believe". _

_Padme nodded, her eyes pained. " I will leave you for tonight", she told him. " I need some time alone, you need some time to process what I've told you". She replaced the hologram disguising her face and closed the barrier preventing them from being heard. _

" _Guards", ordered Padme, " Take him to our most secure cell block. He is to be comfortable, but well watched. Have… have six men guarding him at all times. He is very dangerous". _

_These words cut at Vader, but he stood up without complaint and allowed himself to be led from the room. _

" He is very dangerous", Vader muttered to himself. A strange noise escaped his throat, halfway between a laugh and a sob.

/

When Mara awoke it was with the strange feeling that she was safe. She felt very warm, and for a moment she allowed herself to bask in the strange feeling. However, the sense of security was too unusual for her to trust it for long. Slowly Mara began to become more and more aware of her surroundings. She was lying on some sort of cot, and her hands-

Her hands were cuffed.

Mara's eyes snapped open, and she pulled at her bonds, hissing with frustration when they did not yield.

" Good morning Mara Jade".

The voice was familiar, yet unusually empty. There was no emotion behind the words whatsoever. Mara turned to see Luke Skywalker sitting watching her. She gave a start and moved back as much as she could, her body tense with fear.

Skywalker did not move.

" Are you hungry?" he asked. " I could bring you something".

Mara shook her head, certain that whatever he gave her would be poison.

" Certain?" he asked. He stepped outside of the room and immediately Mara tested the cuffs again, realizing that they were strengthened by the force. Skywalker stepped back inside, holding a tray of food.

" Here", he said quietly, setting it down on a table beside her cot.

" And how exactly am I supposed to eat?" she demanded irritably. " My hands are bound".

Skywalker hesitated. He clearly had not thought of this, and for the first time emotion showed through his blankness; the emotion of embarrassment. The jedi reached out with the force and freed one of her hands.

" But don't think of trying anything, I'm armed", he told her, gesturing to his lightsaber and a blaster. Mara nodded, pretending to consider the food, while really planning her next move. She took the bowl of soup, raised it to her mouth as if to drink from it, then flung it suddenly into Skywalker's face. The jedi reared back, momentarily blinded, and Mara dove for his lightsaber.

She managed to snatch up the weapon and thumbed it on, raising it for a blow at the same time as Skywalker aimed his blaster at her. However, she had a split second advantage with him being blinded by the soup and caught by surprise.

She didn't use the advantage.

In the middle of her swipe at Skywalker, for some reason, Mara hesitated, and the jedi tore the lightsaber from her grasp with the force, pressing the blaster right against her head.

" Don't try that again", he snarled. She stared right back at him, refusing to be intimidated. Skywalker shackled her free hand once more and stepped away.

" I'll know if you try anything else, so don't even think about it", he told her, before stepping out of the room. Strangely though, Mara did not feel any desire to continue her escape attempts.

She could have killed him. She could have escaped.

Why hadn't she pressed her advantage?

/

Luke stepped into the cockpit of the Milennium Falcon and was greeted by Han, Leia and Chewie, who Han and Leia had stopped to get on Shisperia.

" How long until we reach the base?" he asked Han, who had insisted on piloting despite his injury.

" 'Bout five hours kid", the Corellian replied. Luke nodded and was about to suggest a game of sabacc when a sudden horrible feeling washed over him.

" Luke, what's wrong?" Leia asked, looking concerned. Luke looked up at them, ashen faced.

" Something horrible happened here", he said quietly. Leia's eyes widened.

" Well, this is where the imps shot me", Han replied.

" No, not that", Luke said. " There was something… something more than that".

He turned to Leia to ask her more about the incident, and saw her eyeing him with something that resembled fear.

" Leia?" Luke asked, a horrible feeling tugging at him. " Leia, what happened here?"

The princess shook her head, tears threatening to spill onto her face.

The horrible feeling grew, and Luke demanded more sharply: " Leia, _what have you done_?"

" _Leave me alone Luke_!" she shouted, racing from the room.

Han and Luke turned to each other slowly.

" She hasn't told you anything?" the jedi asked.

" She kept avoiding the subject", Han replied. " Luke… what's happened?"

" I'm not sure", he answered. " But I've got a bad feeling about this".

_A.N.: Hello everybody, thank you so much for reading and for your wonderful reviews, I'm thrilled with your reception of chapter 11! I have been away for a while so that is why I was not able to update sooner. Sorry for the cliffhanger! But I hope the wait was worth it, and that the long chapter makes up for it!_

_What did you think of chapter 12? Was the nightmare scene too much? Thanks again for reading, please tell me what you thought, and may the force be with you! _


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